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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · snap · arm · straw · deal · ruler · game · tear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — from a university
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — wild animals
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — to handle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — an amount
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com